There are 18 first-class county headquarters in Britain, and Each day Mail Sport cricket correspondent LAWRENCE BOOTH has been to all of them – many occasions over.
One in every of cricket’s nice joys is the variability in its taking part in areas, in all sizes and styles and with among the nice backdrops in sport. The county grounds are by no means going to be mistaken for the village parks you or I might need performed on, however they nonetheless deliver an unlimited array of idiosyncrasies.
Right here, Lawrence ranks them so as of non-public desire, from worst to greatest.
18th: Grace Highway, Leicestershire
Few grounds in England get a worse press, and it’s true that the Meet – the shed-like edifice the place you’ll be able to marvel at Joey, the stuffed fox bearing an equally lifeless rooster in its mouth – hasn’t at all times lifted the spirits.
Grace Highway is surprisingly huge: the taking part in space is alleged to be the second-biggest on the earth, behind the MCG. And the historical past is healthier than many realise: Leicestershire have gained three championship titles, greater than 5 different groups. And for some time, when the membership gained three T20 Blast titles, the environment was rocking.
It simply hasn’t occurred fairly often after I’ve been there…
Grace Highway’s taking part in space is alleged to be the second greatest on the earth behind the MCG
seventeenth: The County Floor, Derbyshire
Tucked in beside a busy roundabout and the A61, Derbyshire’s essential dwelling could lack the appeal of Chesterfield – the place the membership nonetheless stage an annual competition – but it surely retains a down-to-earth character of its personal.
All of us bear in mind our first time, and mine – as a county reporter – got here right here in 2001. It was the day after 9/11, which meant Derbyshire v Warwickshire in late September felt even much less important than common.
My report was 120 phrases: the identical size as this paragraph, and 14 greater than the house aspect managed of their first innings, due to a career-best six for 50 from Sky Sports activities’ Charlie Dagnall. Again then, canines had been allowed to be members, although even they stayed away that day.
Derbyshire’s essential dwelling lacks the appeal of Chesterfield, however has down-to-earth character
sixteenth: Headingley, Yorkshire
England’s most profitable county doesn’t, let’s be trustworthy, have its most engaging HQ, although you may not say that to a Yorkshireman’s face.
The phrase ‘Headingley’, it’s true, conjures up Ashes derring-do: Ian Botham and Bob Willis in 1981, Ben Stokes in 2019. And the historical past, from Rhodes to Root by way of Hutton and Boycott, is sort of tangible.
However the floor has an austereness that conjures up reverence moderately than love: fancy-dress day within the West Stand doesn’t change that, irrespective of what number of occasions you see Borat chasing the Smurfs.
England’s most profitable county, Yorkshire, doesn’t have its most engaging headquarters
fifteenth: Nevil Highway, Gloucestershire
Few county grounds face extra hypothesis about their impending demise than Nevil Highway, deep in Bristol’s Ashley Down territory – as soon as dwelling to WG Grace, Gloucestershire’s most well-known son.
The need for a much bigger house is comprehensible, however it might be a disgrace: located amid residential property, and with the comparatively latest Hammond Residences overlooking the bottom, it feels a part of the native hubbub. It’s only a disgrace Bristol at all times appears to get worldwide fixtures in September, when it inevitably rains.
Finest sport I’ve seen right here? The ladies’s World Cup semi-final in 2017, when England pipped South Africa by two wickets.
Few county grounds face extra hypothesis about their impending demise than Nevil Highway
14th: Outdated Trafford, Lancashire
There are some who swear that the actual Outdated Trafford (which predates its footballing cousin down the highway by over half a century) will not be what it was for the reason that addition of the large purple Hilton lodge.
However the pavilion is a friendlier place than it was within the days when it was generally known as the Pit of Hate, and the large occasion stand is among the many most spectacular – and precarious-looking – constructions in English cricket.
Outdated Trafford can nonetheless look a bit desolate on a windy day, and a few followers haven’t forgiven the Manchester climate for costing England the 2023 Ashes. However has there been a extra thrumming event than the final day of the 2005 Take a look at, when 1000’s of spectators had been turned away on the gates for a sport that completed with Australia’s final pair hanging on?
Outdated Trafford will not be what’s was for the reason that addition of the large purple Hilton lodge
thirteenth: Chelmsford, Essex
In an age when the nameless and the out-of-town are typically most well-liked to the intimate and the native, Chelmsford bucks the development. It’s a 10-minute stroll from the railway station, simply the opposite aspect of the River Can from Central Park.
Anne’s Pantry does tasty, fairly priced meals, and the nooks and crannies nearly enable a lap of the bottom if you wish to stretch your legs.
Chelmsford could also be a bit boozy at Friday-night T20 video games for some tastes, however there are few extra critical four-day groups within the nation. And, heavens above, the pitch typically turns, permitting two spinners in a balanced assault.
The pitch typically turns at Chelmsford which permits two spinners in a balanced assault
twelfth: Edgbaston, Warwickshire
Located in a suburb normally described as ‘leafy’, Edgbaston nonetheless requires an unattractive stroll for those who attain Birmingham by prepare.
The bottom itself is now a critical stadium, and an extra £42million redevelopment, incorporating a lodge, is deliberate in time for the 2027 Ashes. The press-box meals briefly rivalled Lord’s, however has declined a contact; the view of the Birmingham skyline is spectacular; and there’s no extra raucous environment than the one generated by the Hollies Stand on a Take a look at-match Saturday.
I’ll by no means report on a greater sport than the 2005 Ashes Take a look at right here, when England gained by two runs to arrange the best collection of all time.
Edgbaston is a critical stadium and has the raucous Hollies Stand environment throughout Exams
eleventh: Taunton, Somerset
Like Chelmsford, Taunton sits on the coronary heart of its neighborhood, a 10-minute amble from the railway station and set again from the River Tone, with the Quantock hills including to a bucolic vista. To finish the sheer Englishness of all of it, the St James’ churchyard lies simply past the boundary. You by no means really feel rushed.
Taunton’s alumni embody Viv Richards and Ian Botham, although Arthur Wellard – both aspect of the Second World Battle – hit extra sixes within the championship than each.
In actual fact, it’s at all times been respectable for batting: of the 11 first-class quadruple-hundreds, two had been made right here, by Archie MacLaren in 1895 and Graeme Hick in 1988; final yr, Tom Banton almost made it three. Solely Karachi and Melbourne can boast as many.
Tauton sits on the coronary heart of its neighborhood with St James’ churchyard simply past the boundary
tenth: Rose Bowl, Hampshire
Getting right here stays a problem: the strategy from the M27 appears to throw up extra roundabouts than Milton Keynes. However the floor itself, financed on the flip of the century by Rod Bransgrove, hasn’t at all times earned the reward it deserves – an injustice contemplating it helped preserve English Take a look at cricket afloat in the course of the pandemic.
A civilised 360-degree walkway presents loads of catering choices, whereas the views again in the direction of the South Downs from the highest of the Shane Warne Stand are spectacular.
The on-site Hilton Resort has its priorities proper too. When Manchester Metropolis had been staying for a sport towards Southampton, employees refused to turf Hampshire’s Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas out of his suite to make method for some bloke referred to as Pep Guardiola.
Apparently, Hampshire’s head of cricket operations, an Arsenal fan, mentioned: ‘No probability.’
The views again in the direction of the South Downs on the Rose Bowl are a spectacular sight
ninth: Sophia Gardens, Glamorgan
If we had been rating golf equipment by the standard of the stroll to the bottom, Sophia Gardens can be on the rostrum.
The stroll from the station takes you previous Cardiff Arms Park and the Fortress grounds, into lovely Bute Park, and out alongside the Taff – the river most assured to be talked about in match stories due to the quick straight boundary: many a six has ended up moist.
The Grandstand is likely one of the liveliest spots in British cricket, by no means extra so than when Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar had been taking England to a nailbiting draw at first of the 2009 Ashes – with the assistance of some world-class time-wasting from twelfth man Bilal Shafayat.
The grandstand at Sofia Gardens in Cardiff is likely one of the liveliest spots in British cricket
eighth: Canterbury, Kent
Full marks to the St Lawrence for embracing its historical past: stands are named after Frank Woolley, Les Ames, Alan Knott and Derek Underwood, and there’s additionally the Cowdrey convention centre. The slope is much more pronounced than the 8ft tiddler at Lord’s.
Gone are the times when EW Swanton, the grand previous man of English cricket writing, gave the place a semi-religious really feel, although town’s gorgeous cathedral does its greatest.
One journey right here coincided with my most circuitous route again to London. Sprinting to Canterbury East station one night because the prepare pulled in, I congratulated myself on making it in time, and settled all the way down to learn a guide. The subsequent time I regarded up, I used to be in Dover, having boarded on the fallacious aspect of the tracks…
The slope at Canterbury is much more pronounced than the 8ft tiddler at Lord’s
seventh: Chester-le-Avenue, Durham
Perceptions might be colored by the lodging choices: historic Durham and raucous Newcastle each rating extremely for those who’re planning a visit to Chester-le-Avenue.
Then there’s Lumley Fortress, county cricket’s second-best backdrop, the place in 2005 Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was so spooked by rumours it was haunted that he spent the evening on Brett Lee’s ground.
The bottom itself is compact and hospitable, and staged some of the unjustly forgotten days in England’s historical past: defending 299 to clinch the 2013 Ashes, they dismissed Australia for 224, with Anderson holding the profitable catch off Stuart Broad.
Because of the ECB’s shoddy therapy of Durham, the Riverside has hosted just one Take a look at since. A county that retains producing England quick bowlers deserves higher.
Chester-le-Avenue is compact and hospitable, and staged some of the unjustly forgotten days in England’s historical past
sixth: Wantage Highway, Northamptonshire
Full disclosure: I’m biased. Northamptonshire have been my county, by skinny and thinner, for the reason that late Eighties, since when the previous place has smartened up a bit – even when the red-bricked terraced housing that surrounds Wantage Highway as soon as persuaded Doug Ibbotson of the Each day Telegraph to declare it ‘like Coronation Avenue with grass’.
The cricketers now not share amenities with Northampton City FC, and the newish indoor college is state-of-the-art. The locals, it’s true, love a grumble, and so they get loads of alternative.
However we’ll at all times have the NatWest quarter-final in 1991 – my first sport there within the flesh, when all the Glamorgan center order of Adrian Dale, Matthew Maynard and Ravi Shastri had been run out. Pleased days.
Northamptonshire have been my county, by skinny and thinner, for the reason that late Eighties, since when the previous place has smartened up a bit
fifth: New Highway, Worcestershire
Worcester cathedral, burial place of King John, supplies probably the most enticing backdrop within the county sport, however for a way for much longer?
With the Severn recurrently bursting its banks, New Highway spends as a lot of the winter submerged because it does dry, and membership officers have accepted Worcestershire will want a brand new dwelling. What a pity, even for a floor that has misplaced just a little of its class in recent times due to different developments.
Nonetheless, no venue does tea-time cake just like the Women’ Pavilion, and the understated hum is ideal for a post-prandial snooze. We’ll miss it when it’s gone.
Worcester cathedral supplies probably the most enticing backdrop within the county sport
4th: Lord’s, Middlesex
Not unhealthy. Sunil Gavaskar thought the slope incongruous for a spot so ‘revered’, however you’d must be a sourpuss to search out an excessive amount of fallacious with Lord’s (and the meals stays the very best on the circuit, which issues once you’re a cricket journalist).
By way of recollections, it’s onerous to look past the 2019 World Cup last, although there was a magical afternoon in 2011, when Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar batted towards Anderson, Broad and Chris Tremlett, the solar out, and the bottom abuzz. It felt heavenly, in a method that solely Lord’s can really feel.
You’d must be a sourpuss to search out an excessive amount of fallacious with Lord’s and the meals stays the very best on the circuit
third: The Oval, Surrey
Simply as Lord’s couldn’t presumably be in south London, so The Oval would by no means be at dwelling north of the river.
It’s extra democratic, much less self-conscious: you’re unlikely to be scolded by a steward, or bump right into a middle-aged man carrying purple trousers. And, in contrast to Lord’s, it’s as happy with its county historical past as it’s of its Exams: Surrey’s 22 championship titles (bettered solely by Yorkshire) are celebrated intimately on the perimeter wall.
The views from the OCS Stand are excellent, even when the previous gasholder is now being changed into luxurious residences. And for these of us who had been fortunate sufficient to be there, we’ll at all times have Kevin Pietersen’s Ashes-clinching 158 in 2005.
The Oval is happy with is county historical past, with Surrey’s 22 titles solely being bettered by Yorkshire
2nd: Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire
There’s one thing bracing a few stroll throughout the Trent from the centre of Nottingham. Modernisation has not disturbed the bottom’s old-time tranquility, and the pavilion – the place Shane Warne wiggled with a stump in 1997 – continues to be among the many loveliest within the nation, even whether it is at the moment coated by scaffolding.
You are feeling near the motion too, and the press field is so low down that green-jacketed stewards repeatedly warn journalists to remain seated if the bowling is from our finish.
I’ve seen few higher Exams than England’s 14-run win over Australia in 2013, when Broad refused to stroll for a thick edge (and Brad Haddin refused to stroll for the skinny edge that completed the sport). But it surely’s the easy appeal that defines Trent Bridge.
As Michael Henderson as soon as wrote: ‘When you can’t reply to its unforced magnificence, maybe you must verify your pulse.’
Modernisation has not disturbed Trent Bridge’s old-time tranquility and the pavilion continues to be among the many loveliest within the nation
1st: Hove, Sussex
When the solar is out, there isn’t a place like Hove. Decide up a espresso at Brighton station, wander alongside the ocean entrance, immerse your self in a world of seagulls, deckchairs and ice lotions, and luxuriate in a post-stumps beer on the seaside.
The slope and, on murkier days, the ocean fret add to the native color. The flats overlooking the bottom have ‘retirement bolthole’ written throughout them. Solely a 24-carat curmudgeon might fail to get pleasure from watching cricket right here.
When the solar is out, there isn’t a place like Hove and few might fail to get pleasure from watching cricket right here
The flats overlooking the bottom have ‘retirement bolthole’ written throughout them
